Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-30

wsaahaE embarFasses the condiiioa q
the iendina brnnchea Of hasineas. The
geathsr b improving. A brighter
sky h also soen In the beos
aud shoe trade. with tnereaEina
ordeEa a bsataE demand d seen for
some kinds Of lsather and pricez for tie
neW clip Of wool aa the wsga are higher
than was expec1ed, thoaeh In he east-
ern markets thsrs is no change. Oof-
son has been slightly advancing hy
manip1iakisn- Cotton goods are a.
present. IN m0deEals request and prizt
cloth Il Z shade lower, blf The eject Of
not yet passed. wheat rose durinR the
Week and expsriencod . rsacficn again.
The battle between western faRmers
who think The higher rail rates shoald
be boEne by the oonsnmara and the
worlds markets, which refuse 10 "a
vance, doea no4 90 in faVor 81 the farm
sra thus far. OoAee has bean fsveriah.
OF ali the great industries the iron
manufacture 10 The most unsettled. Be
eanse the InaeF-State laws changes may
cheek railroad b1ileing. while tie pro-
| iected increase IN iron b heavy. BuGi-
ne@ failures oecurring thFouRhoat ths
country daring eleven days nnmheE for
rs 16& and for Canada 81; total, 19l;
against l99 for lest wssk and 2O7 for she
corresponding veek Of les year.
Paeiae RaEarea6 Cemmnnnssa-
New YoaK. April .. = Al the opening
% business before the Pacidc Railroads
Investigation Committee today, Presi-
dent Adams Of sha Union Pasi6o sAid be
wished 10 make . statement. BE bad
noticed that there vas disposition on
the part Of some newspapers. il giving
aocoants Of his testimony, 10 comment
dispaEaRinR on his testimony Of yea-
tegday that be had not examined the
books and accounts Of bis company.
/ He wished 10 say that be vas not book
keeper. he mnst aeeept ths statements
/ Of his bookkespers. He said the Omaha
and Nebraska road vas 0peFated praEt-
ably as branch Of the Union Pacific.
The Oregon short Lane vas built In
1881. when Il waa thought the Northern
Pacific weald not be built for many
years. The read 10 6l0 miles long.
Along Bear river Il b In 9 grazing and
farming coantTy. For 800 miles Il runs
through lava beds, bus a. the sage
brush Crews there 10 could easily be /
converted into an agricultural region.
The road cost $4,000 10 980,O0o per
mile. It is fully equipped. The stock |
holders of the Union Pacific took all Of |
tho bonds ard half Of the stock. A
5000 bond and $500 in steck we're sold |
for $1,000. The road was great feeder |
for the Union Pacific.
The Union Pacific had guaranteed |
thu payment Of the Oregon Short Line /
bonds on the advice Of Sydney Bartlett.
Judge Dillon and other counsel Of the
road. They maintained or advised that
Il was legitimate without ooasont OF
Congress. Governor Pattison said that
the act Of Congress stated that the road
shall mos issue OF guarantee the Issue OF
honda without the permission Of Con
Rress. Adams said that be knew that,
counsel. He vas mos q lawyer, and
must be guided by them. He was an
officer, and was aware that II be him.
% vas liable be must suffer the PEN
atty.
The Salena q Southwestern road,
twenty i've milee southwest from Sa-
lena, into an agricultural district In
Kansas, has always paid expenses and
runs through the best wheat growing
country in Kansas. Adams would as
SION think Of cutting OF his finger as Of
dropping that braoch from the Union
Pacific. The Utah Northern branch was
from Salt Lake TO OgdeR, 466 miles
north, through Idaho. The Union Pa
ciic bought Il in 1875, and IL was very
peofisable for years, When the North
ern Pacific was built IL was cot IN two
and had NOT paid since the year il COM
mencea running extensions. The road
vas built on the "gtout' principle by
MoFmons.
The examination Of the roads operated
BY the Union Pacific vas cencluded and
Adams was examined as TO mileage. A
branch road, doing small business,
needed 10 make Q greater profit on each
item carried f0s freight as piokups or
deliveries at points where the branch is
connected With the parent line, and it IL
given constructive mileage The parent
road may carry freight 100 miles and
the branch road i've miles, and yet tha
branch may be allowed . rate en- the
construction Of mileage equivalent 70
two miles for every one. This e0nstTuo-
ton mileage always worked favor OF
the branch pro rata against the parent
line, and therefore By this rale the
branches Of the Union Paeitic took from
the general ReoeiPts Of thas road all that
was allowed them as constructive mile
age.
There had bean very few complaints
Of Discrimination aaatnst eompetitoFa
Adams had never heard Of any PROPOSE
tion % abandon the Uaion Pacific 10
the GoveFnment exeept What bad been
IL the newspapers. There we're the
Utah, Colorado, Omaha. Montana and
Transoontinsutal pools. In one pool
the Pacific Mail got $500 month
The Onion Paciao paid from q quarter
20 q third. Tue pool uens 70 pieces IN
1885. The road carried fortJ-hve per
osnt. Of the lrafie and got for 10 nearly
twenty six per cent less money. Trans
continental business is becoming less
and les an important factor OF ths
Union Pacific. In 1855 the rats per ton
Tue monsy paid COS In pool sstiloment
never Appeared In the reports. Il 10
prepared By the aeentss and siDply de-
Quoted from the gross earnings.
After recess there was an tnfoFDal
talk between the Commissioners and
President Adams.
Regarding the receipts, which the
road should include IN its eAleulation OF
Is per cent which goes 10 the Govern
meat. Judge Dillen said u hes been de-
eided that tue prooeeds Of the land sold
we're not governed BY the 0oyeEnmeat.
The hen Of the G0yeFnment mortgage /
was not extended 70 the land granted -
ths road By tks Government The land
vas granted 70 the company 70 build The |
road, and the eel provided that tbs land
must BE- sold 10 three years. The per-
oentaRe Of the Government CONES cut Of |
the increase OF the road. Nee income |
and net earnings are distinot things /
The compilation b maae for our use, |
and all ws have ts pay Il the amount de-
mandsd, aud then ws oannot get baek /
all we have paid over what We should
have paid.
There vas some CONSULTATION regard |
ing future prooeSdinRs Of the Oommia
sion, and Mr.. Adams said that she lav
obiiaed each Of the roads, svsn after be
ing acqsired by the Union Pacific, 70
contlnne - q separate organic stson, and
this obliged 9 complicated syssen Of
bookkseping. There are forty Of these /
organisations and Adams Supposed be /
Waa Prsaidana Of them all He hOped
the rspoFt Of the Commission voule
pFovids fer relief from thts useless and /
complicated system Of Aceouots.
As MR. Adams Wss ebligsd 20 tesye
foF the West and could not be back b